Data Lit

In this episode, we interviewed students ranging from kindergarten through high school about their thoughts on feedback, touching upon how they receive it, how they use it, and how they would advise teachers to deliver it. Afterwards, we debrief, sharing our takeaways from what we heard.

References from the episode:

Theme music created by Centennial Middle School’s Maya Smith

Hosts: Mellisa Smith, Serena Halstead, and Spencer Ziegler

Data, Research, and Accountability department for the Wake County Public School System

In her book Postcards and Pearls, author Gina Greenlee says: “Experience is a master teacher, even when it’s not our own.” It is for this reason that in the second part of our Feedback series we will lean on the experience of our district’s teachers, students and Digital Learning Coordinators. In this episode, we invite two local science teachers, Bill Ferriter and Paul Cancellieri, who are life-long practitioners of feedback to share lessons learned and practical strategies we all should consider as we build a culture of feedback in the classroom.

References:

Theme music created by Moore Square Magnet Middle School’s Maya Smith

Hosts: Mellisa Smith, Serena Halstead, and Spencer Ziegler

Guests: Bill Ferriter and Paul Cancellieri

As we explore the concept of feedback, one of our key take-aways has been the notion that feedback must be received by the learner in order to be effective; as a result, how feedback is given plays an instrumental role in how it is received.  In this episode, we provide educators with some considerations when giving written or oral feedback, as well as strategies for feedback in group and one-on-one contexts.

References from the episode:

WCPSS staff can earn credit for listening to and reflecting on completed series. Learn more here.

Theme music created by Centennial Middle School’s Maya Smith

Hosts: Mellisa Smith, Serena Halstead, and Spencer Ziegler

Data, Research, and Accountability department for the Wake County Public School System.

In our last episode, we focused on the "Why of Feedback”. We established that "Feedback" plays a crucial role in student learning as it enables them to correct or improve their work and gain new knowledge. In this episode, the "Who of Feedback,” we identify the different individuals who provide feedback. In the classroom, the teacher typically is the first person who comes to mind when we think of who gives feedback. However, we have identified that feedback can come from students doing a personal critique of their work or providing feedback to their peers and teachers. 

References:

Wake County staff can receive credit for listening to a Data Lit series. Learn more here. 

Theme music created by Centennial Middle School’s Maya Smith

Hosts: Mellisa Smith, Serena Halstead, and Spencer Ziegler

Data, Research, and Accountability department for the Wake County Public School System

Researchers have found feedback to be important and impactful - for example, John Hattie (1999) describes feedback as the “most powerful single moderator that enhances achievement”.  In this episode, we begin by sharing why we used feedback as classroom teachers and what lessons we learned as part of the process of giving feedback to ourselves to improve our own practice. We also share a little about the science of how feedback affects the brain and learning, before ending with a discussion about the reality of providing feedback despite its impactfulness on achievement.

References from the episode:

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2012, September). Making Time for Feedback. Educational Leadership, 70(1), 42-46. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept12/vol70/num01/Making-Time-for-Feedback.aspx 

Gonzalez, J. (2020, May 10). Flash Feedback: How to Provide More Meaningful Feedback in Less Time. Cult of Pedagogy. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/flash-feedback/

Hattie, J. & Timperley, H. (2007). The Power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), p81-112.

Stafford, T. (2013, February 25). Why your brain loves to get feedback. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20130226-why-your-brain-loves-feedback

Theme music created by Moore Square Magnet Middle School’s Maya Smith

Hosts: Mellisa Smith, Serena Halstead, and Spencer Ziegler

Data, Research, and Accountability department for the Wake County Public School System

We kick off our series on feedback with a pair of haikus from Mellisa and Serena:

Feedback can be harsh

What else will I have to change?

Now, is it better?

***

Feedback helps your growth

Done well, not ‘bout your self worth

Needed when remote

***

These poetic gems weren’t just included to embarrass the co-hosts, but to serve as models for pieces of work that might receive feedback. Spencer then uses Hattie and Timperley’s four levels of feedback (task, processing, self-regulation, and self) to let them know how they did.

Resources from the episode:

Theme music created by Moore Square Magnet Middle School’s Maya Smith

Hosts: Mellisa Smith, Serena Halstead, and Spencer Ziegler

Data, Research, and Accountability department for the Wake County Public School System

In this episode we continue to explore the different assessment types by taking a look at Assessments for Learning (aka Formative Assessments).  We start by sharing a few analogies (Cooking/Dress Rehearsal/Journey) to frame and define assessments for learning, then we discuss some classroom examples that teachers can use before wrapping up with a discussion which brings home the point that both Assessments of and Assessments for Learning are needed for teachers and students in the instructional cycle.

References:

Theme song provided by Cary High School student Logan Foster

Hosts: Mellisa Smith, Serena Halstead, and Spencer Ziegler

Data, Research, and Accountability department for the Wake County Public School System.

In this episode, we share our insights on what is Assessment of Learning, reviewing summative and interim assessments, as well as their purpose based on our experiences as teachers. We do so through the analogy of taking a vacation, focusing on the destination while making pit-stops along the route. We discuss who the users of this assessment type are, and identify some of the different ways in which Assessment of Learning can be effectively employed.  

Resources from the episode:

Theme song provided by Cary High School student Logan Foster

Hosts: Mellisa Smith, Serena Halstead, and Spencer Ziegler

Data, Research, and Accountability department for the Wake County Public School System.

We transition from our Assessment Methods series to our Assessment Types series with the help of the Karate Kid, as Mr. Miyagi’s instruction to Daniel LaRusso is illustrative for distinguishing between these two categorizations. Afterwards, we preview the upcoming series by defining assessment of learning as well as assessment for learning.

Resources from the episode:

Theme song provided by Cary High School student Logan Foster

Hosts: Mellisa Smith, Serena Halstead, and Spencer Ziegler

Data, Research, and Accountability department for the Wake County Public School System.

In this episode, we conclude our conversation on different assessment methods by digging into Performance Assessments. We provide a definition of the term performance assessment, identify the different types of performance assessments, and give examples of each, as used in the classroom. In examining the suitableness of the different assessment methods, we stress that no one method would reveal all information we need to know about our students’ learning; rather, the use of each will depend on the learning standard (s) being addressed.

Resources from the episode:

Hosts: Mellisa Smith, Serena Halstead, and Spencer Ziegler

Data, Research, and Accountability department for the Wake County Public School System.